Mtr Taylor Devine

Dear Friend,

This morning our Office Gospel from Luke might sound familiar, particularly from the Lenten season leading up to Holy Week:
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

In addition to the heart-rending imagery of Jesus' love for his people, there are some compelling prophecies layered into the short Gospel reading. "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord" is a royal greeting from Psalm 118:26. It is spoken in Luke 19:38 up Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, and by all of us in the Eucharistic prayers. It was also the usual greeting for Passover pilgrims but with the work King added in Luke 19:38.

This follows Jesus' word to Herod "Go and tell that fox for me" - not exactly "lion" royal imagery he would have expected. In short order the question "Who is the real king here?" is answered.
The three days Jesus warns Herod about foretell the day that he would "finish his work" - the Resurrection.

These familiar and still striking words condense so much of the Gospel's heartache and destination - salvation through Jesus' work. His roles have been named as Prophet, Priest, and King and today we hear the Kingly imagery ring out in the Gospel. A king who rules through self-emptying, through incarnation, through presence and redemption. A king while a lamb, while a Prophet and Priest.
On Fridays the Canticle suggested to follow the Gospel reading is "A Song to the Lamb," found on page 93 of your Book of Common Prayer. Week in and week out this Canticle (a section of Revelation) is prayed on Fridays and picks up on different notes of the Lectionary readings. The Canticle reads
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God,
For you created everything that is,
and by your will they were created and have their being;
(Continued on p. 94)
Today let us dwell in the awe into which these readings and prayers invite us, and pray to follow him with that sense of adoration.

In Christ,
Mtr Taylor

(You can find the table of suggested canticles on p. 144-45 in your BCP. I like to follow these to see what they pick up on in the cycle of readings assigned for Morning or Evening Prayer. In the past I have just picked a Canticle at times but it's lovely how they "work" with the lectionary!)